Metallic resilient tire.



A. W. RAETTIG.

METALLIC RESILIENT TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1914.

1,M6,995. Patented June 22, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS c0., PHOTG-LITHO.. wAsHlNGwN, D. c.

ALFRED W. RAET'IIG,

OF ST'URGIS, MICHIGAN.

METALLIC RESILIENT TIRE.

Lid-3,995.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 19115.

Application filed April 3, 1914. Serial No. 829,290.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. RAETTIG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sturgis, county of St. Joseph, State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic ResilientTires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in metallic resilient tires.

The objects of this invention are: First, to provide an improvedresilient, metallic tire having no loose ends or joints, the entire tirebeing made of strips of spring metal having their ends welded orotherwise secured together. Second, to provide in a resilient, metallictire, improved tread plates.

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies ofconstruction and operation, will definitely appear from the detaileddescription to follow.

I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and meansdescribed in the following specification.

The invention is clearly defined and pointedout in the claims.

A structure which is a preferred embodiment of my invention is clearlyillustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of thisspecification, in which:

Figure I'is a view in side elevation of a wheel carrying a tireembodying my inven tion, the spokes of the wheel being omitted. Fig. 11is a top plan view on an enlarged scale. of a portion of my improvedtire. Fig. 111 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 3-3 ofFig. II. Fig. IV is a detail sectional view on the line H of Fig.

F ig. V is a detail duced scale, of one of the spring tire members, thesame being spread out fiat.

In the drawing, similar reference characters refer to similar partsthroughout the several views, and the sectional views are taken lookingin the direction of the little arrows at the ends of the section lines.

Considering the numbered parts of the drawing, 1 represents the felly ofa wheel, to which a rim member 2, provided with a clip portion orflange, is secured by means of a plurality of bolts 3, 3.

A rim attaching band 6 is provided which lies flat 011 the rim 2, andone edge of which is engaged by the flange upon said rim. The other edgeof said rim attaching band 6 is engaged by the flange 4 which is securedin plan view on a re-' place by the bolts 5 through the fellv of purposehereinafter to be described.

My improved tire is made up of a pair of members 8 and 9 which are madeof vanadium steel or of any other metal which has the requisite amountof spring and resiliency and is capable of sustaining the weight withoutundergoing elastic fatigue. The members 8 and 9 are identical in shapeand as shown in Fig. V, consist of central portions 8 and 9, and aplurality of spring fingers 8 and 9 extending from either edge of saidcentral portions. The inner ends of the slots etween the fingers arerounded, as shown in Fig. V, so as to prevent checking or cracking asthe ends of said fingers are brought together. These spring fingers 8and 9 are bent downwardly and the ends thereof are welded to the rimmember 6, as shown in Fig. IV.

The spring fingers 8 and 9 are spaced apart sufficiently so that, whenthe strip is bent to the curvature of the finished tire, the ends of thespring fingers will abut each other as clearly shown in Fig. III.

he members 8 and 9 are assembled together with the fingers 8 of theouter member 8 covering the openings between thefingers 9 of the innermember 9. The two members 8 and 9 are then bent to conform to thecurvature of the tire and the spring members 8 and 9 are bent inwardlyand welded securely to the rim attaching band 6. The ends of the members8 and 9 are welded together so as to present a substantially continuousintegral structure without joints. Since the fingers 8 close theopenings between the fingers 9 a substantially continuous tire structureis provided without any openings to allow dirt and dust to pass into theinterior of the tire.

A plurality of tread plates 1O, 10 are detachably secured to the treadportion of the tire by means of bolts 11 which pass through alinedopenings in the tread plates 10 and the tire members 8 and 9. The bolts11 are held in place by means of lock nuts 11'. The head of the bolt 11is provided with a cavity which is filled with noise deadening material12, such as lead, babbitt, rubber, or the like.

The material of the tread plates and of the tire members 8 and 9surrounding the holes through which the bolts 11 pass is struckinwardly, as clearly shown in Figs. III and TV so as to prevent theshifting of said parts relative to each other. The heads of the bolts 11are also provided with shoulders which fit in said openings so as toprevent the turning of the bolts. The tread plate is provided with aplurality of struck up portions 13 and 15 forming cavities or pocketswhich are shaped to retain and are filled with noise deadening material1% and 16 such as lead, babbitt, rubber, or the like, so as to give amore nearly noiseless tread.

From the description of the parts given above, the operation andconstruction of my device should be entirely clear. I have shown the rimattaching band 6 as secured to the telly of the wheel by means of theflanges 2 and 4, but it will be evident that anv other means of securingthe rim might be provided. I

The tire members 8 and 9 are laid together, one on top or" the other, sothat the fingers 8 close the openings between the lingers 9 and thefingers 9 close the openings between the fingers S. The lower ends ofthe spring fingers are then welded to the edges of the rim attachingband 6 so that the entire structure is securely held in place upon theband 6. Thetread plates 10 are then put in place with the openingstherein in alinement with the openings in the tire members and aresecured in place by means of the bolts 11. The nuts 11 on the bolt 11.are tightened by means of a wrench or other suitable instrument, accessto said nut being provided through the openings 7 which are provided forthat purpose in the rim 6.

It will be observed that the tire is made up of two members superimposedthe one on the other, the ends of each member being welded together.This makes acontinuous tire structure of spring metal without joints orloose ends. The openings between the spring fingers of the inner memberare closed by the spring fingers of the outer member, thus preventingdirt and mud from entering the'interior of the tire. The two tiremembers are fixed relative to each other and give together whencompressed without any sliding relative to each other.

I am aware that the particular structure which I have here set forth, issusceptible of considerable variation without departing Copies of thispatent maybe obtained for five cents each. by addressing the from thespirit of my invention and I therefore do not wish to be restricted tothe same. I have found, however, that this structure is to be preferred,and I therefore desire to claim the same specifically as well asbroadly, as indicated by my appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I. claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tubular sheet metal tire comprising a rim attaching band and astrip of spring metal forming the periphery of the tire and providedwith a plurality of radially extending spring fingers on both edgesthereof, said spring fingers having parallel edges, the ends of saidfingers being secured to said rim attaching band with the edges of theends abutting each other, substantially as described.

2. A tubular sheet metal tire comprising a rim attaching band and a pairot strips of spring metal lornnng the periphery oi:

the tire and provided with a plurality ol' radially extending springlingers on both edges thereof, said spring lil'igers having paralleledges, the ends of said fingers being secured to said rim attaching bandwith the edges abutting each other, said strips being superimposed oneupon the other with the fingers of one strip covering the openingsbetween the fingers of the other strip, substantially as described andfor the purpose specified.

8. A tubular sheet metal tire comprising a rim attaching band, and apair of strips oi? spring metal forming the periphery of the tire, theedges of said strips being provided with a plurality of spring fingers,the

ends of said fingers being secured to said rim attaching band, treadplates disposed on the periphery of said tire, openings in said stripshaving down turned fianges around the same, apertures in said treadplates having down turned fianges disposed in the openings through saidstrips, and securing means passing through said tread plates and saidstrips, all coacting substantially as described for the purposespecified.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presenceof two witnesses.

ALFRED W. RAETTIG. [L- 5.]

Witnesses:

H. V. TTAGERMAN, Loursn HAGERMAN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

